nest endeavour to instruct and save the people. Have you done this? COLLOQUY. SEPTEMBER 16. JESUS PREACHES AGAIN IN THE TEMPLE. Preludes as before. POINT I. Jesus invites all those who thirst after CONSIDERATION. Jesus appeared a second time in the temple on the last and most solemn day of the feast; for then the Jews went to drink of the fountain of Siloe, and sprinkled the altar with its water to obtain a fruitful harvest. Our Lord took advantage of the concourse of people to give an instruction, which He began by an allusion to the ceremony of the day: 'Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink;' that is to say, If any one thirst for truth and holiness, which give supernatural life and vigour to the soul, let him come to Me; let him believe and hope in Me, the Source of life, and he shall be satisfied; and from his heart, as from a neverfailing fountain, the waters of life-giving grace shall spring and flow forth abundantly. He that believeth in Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' APPLICATION. Ask most earnestly for this water of the supernatural life, these streams of sanctifying grace, which fill us with the Spirit of God, and enable us to do an Apostle's work; to spread around us the sweet savour of Jesus Christ, and a wealth of good works. AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS. POINT II. Jesus disarms the Messengers sent to arrest Him. CONSIDERATION. The chief priests and princes had VOL. II. M stationed a band of men in the temple with orders to arrest our Lord and bring Him before them if He attempted to preach again. But they were so softened and impressed by the Saviour's words, that no man laid hands upon Him. The ministers therefore came to the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they said to them, Why have you not brought Him? The ministers answered, Never did man speak like this Man.' APPLICATION. Though our Lord knew perfectly well that men were waiting to seize Him and throw Him into prison, He obeyed the call of love and duty, and entered the temple. Let us imitate His courage and constancy. As religious, as apostles, let neither imprisonment nor death, much less regard for our health or fear of ridicule, turn us from the path of duty. Again, it is said that no man laid hands upon Him, because His hour was not yet come.' His hour-the day when He wished to be sacrificed by His enemies. We learn from this that evil will never prevail against us except at the time and in the way that God permits. Still, we ought to be prudent, and make use of wise precautions; for Jesus went not up to Jerusalem until the third day of the feast, and did not show Himself publicly except in the temple. AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS. POINT III. Nicodemus in the Council takes the part of Jesus. CONSIDERATION. The chief priests and scribes, vexed at the failure of their plot, held a meeting in the evening to arrange some plan for securing the person of the Saviour. One, however, was found to take His part. This was Nicodemus, the same who came to Jesus by night. He said, 'Doth our law judge any man, unless it first hear him, and know what he doth?' To this appeal to the first principles of justice, the answer was, Art thou also a Galilean? Search the Scriptures, and see that out of Galilee a prophet riseth not. And every man returned to his own house.' APPLICATION. We are indignant with these men thus blinded by their passions; but do we not follow their example when we suspect or condemn our brethren without knowing or inquiring into the motives of their conduct? COLLOQUY. SEPTEMBER 17. THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY. 1st Prel. Picture to yourself our Lord, surrounded by the multitude in the temple, and saying to the adulteress, 'Go, and now sin no more.' 2d Prel. Ask for grace to know the mind of Christ, and to be conformed to it. POINT I. Jesus is chosen to judge the Case of the CONSIDERATION. And early in the morning Jesus came again into the temple; and all the people came to Him, and, sitting down, He taught them. And the Scribes and Pharisees bring unto Him a woman taken in adultery, and they set her in the midst, and said to Him, Master, this woman was even now taken in adultery. Now Moses in the law commanded us to stone such a one. But what sayest Thou?' They asked Him as if they intended to abide by His decision. By inviting Him to pass sentence upon the woman, these hypocrites appeared to pay Him great honour, but in reality they only wished to entangle Him, that they might have something whereof to accuse Him. APPLICATION. Consider this most difficult position in which our Lord was placed through the cunning of these wicked men. If He refused the office of judge, He would have seemed to deny His title as the 'Sent of God,' as emphatically 'the Master in Israel;' if He accepted it, He would either be denounced as a violator of the law if He forgave her, or if He condemned her, He would be taxed with cruelty and self-contradiction, because He had said He was come to save, not to destroy. See how Jesus foiled the cunning of His enemies, and even turned it to their own confusion, and you will feel the truth of the words, 'There is no wisdom, there is no prudence, there is no counsel against the Lord.' You will admire, reverence, and love our Lord more than ever. AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS. POINT II. Jesus disappoints her Accusers. CONSIDERATION. Jesus, who knew the intense malic of those who asked Him to try the case of the adul teress, answered nothing, but bowing Himself down, wrote with His finger on the ground. When, therefore, they continued asking Him, He lifted up Himself, and said to them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again stooping down, He wrote on the ground.' Some think that He wrote the secret sins of the accusers. However that may be, 'they went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, and Jesus alone remained, and the woman standing in the midst.' APPLICATION. Try to have constantly before your mind these words of our Lord, 'He that is without sin,' without defect, wrongheadedness, or singularity in his conduct,—'let him first cast a stone at his brethren. We shall then be more dissatisfied with ourselves than with others; we shall then be what humility and true charity require of us, 'severe upon ourselves, indulgent to others.' AFFECTIONS and RESOLUTIONS. POINT III. Jesus pardons the Adulteress. CONSIDERATION. When all her accusers were gone, and she was left alone with our Lord, He said to her, 'Woman, where are they that accused thee-hath no man condemned thee? Who said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither will I condemn thee; go, and now sin no more.' Doubly saved-body and soul together! What a blessed moment this must have been to her! What reverence, what gratitude, what love must her heart have felt for Jesus her Saviour! ? APPLICATION. Think of all that this same God and Saviour has done for you. From how many dangers has He rescued you? how many sins has He forgiven you You too will glow with love and gratitude. Close this Meditation with the outpouring of your heart, and let your actions through the day bear witness to it. COLLOQUY with Jesus our Saviour and our Pattern. SEPTEMBER 18. JESUS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 1st Prel. Picture to yourself Jesus saying, 'I am the light of the world.' 2d Prel. Ask for a great gift of Divine light. POINT I. Jesus is the Light of the World. CONSIDERATION. 'I am the Light of the World.' With these solemn words our Lord began His third sermon in the temple. To understand what the world owes to the Divine Light incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ, we must consider the state of society before the Incarnation. The most senseless idolatry was substituted for the worship of the only true God; Divine honours were given to gods of wood and stone; human sacrifices were offered with the most dreadful cruelty; more than half the world were reduced to a state of slavery, and treated like brute beasts; children were abandoned; and the most shameful excesses, the worst vices, were raised to the rank of virtues. |